Beijing — China has increased tariffs up to 25% on 128 US products, from frozen pork and wine to certain fruits and nuts, escalating a dispute between the world’s biggest economies in response to US duties on imports of aluminium and steel. The tariffs, to take effect on Monday, were announced late on Sunday by China’s finance ministry and matched a list of possible tariffs on up to $3bn in US goods published by China on March 23. Soon after the announcement, an editorial in the widely read Global Times newspaper warned that if the US had thought China would not retaliate or would only take symbolic countermeasures, it could "say goodbye to that delusion". The Global Times is run by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, although its stance does not necessarily reflect government policy. "Even though China and the US have not publicly said they are in a trade war, the sparks of such a war have already started to fly," the newspaper said. The ministry of commerce said ...
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